Launching day-and-date with the film on June 17, the Batman Begins video game challenges gamers to step into the shadows of Gotham City's perilous criminal underworld as DC Comics' legendary Dark Knight, and use fear as their ultimate weapon.

The game explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham. Gamers will play as both Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego, Batman, hunting evil-doers from the shadows, using strength, intellect and an array of high tech gadgets to fight the sinister forces that threaten the city, including classic villains the Scarecrow, Ra's Al Ghul and Carmine Falcone.

ALIAS' KILLER STUNTS, INC.

As part of Alias Enterprises' "20-Year Rollback," Killer Stunts, Inc. #1 will have a cover price of 75 cents in April.

Here's how the book is described:

Billy Andrews, a Hollywood stuntman, faces multiple challenges from struggling in his relationship with a rising film starlet, Laura Leigh, to keeping his fledgling stunt company, Killer Stunts, Inc., afloat in the new age of CGI-dominated special effects. As if his everyday troubles weren't enough, Andrews finds himself sucked into an assignment from a covert government agency -- not knowing he's being used as a pawn in a vast conspiracy. In over his head, the daredevil-for-hire re-teams with his former mentor, John Lynch, an aging legend in the stunt community, and is forced to utilize all his 'tricks of the trade' to not only stay alive, but to stop the bad guys from pulling off a major heist."

The book is written by Scott Kinney, with pencils by Scott Cohn and inks by Mike Manley.

"Scott is an up-and-comer, no doubt about it; comic readers and industry insiders will take notice of his work when this series hits the stands," Kinney said of Cohn. "I'm a fan of artists like Ron Garney, John Romita Jr., and Mike Manley, and I think Scott will be right up there with these guys someday. Oh, by the way, Mike Manley is inking the book -- it's too good to be true for me

Killer Stunts, Inc. is in development as a motion picture and video game by producers Chuck Gordon and Adrian Askarieh.

"We felt that the organic hook of Scott's book was strong enough to build a multi-faceted franchise around," said Askarieh. "Chuck Gordon and myself have always wanted to see a character like Billy take us to the most fascinating world of stunts and near misses."

ASHLEY WOOD'S SENCILLA FANTA

Sencilla Fanta is the latest offering from Ashley Wood and IDW Publishing, scheduled for an April release.

Here's how IDW describes the project:

"Ashley Wood has earned a legion of fans in both the worlds of fine art and comic books. He translates his unique vision into a mesmerizing mix of pencils, paint, digital manipulation, and innovative styling that defies description, and his consistently amazing work is known worldwide.

"Now, with Sencilla Fanta, Ash's fans have the rare opportunity to get a glimpse of the creative process behind each masterpiece. This huge, large format sketchbook is filled with ideas, illustrations, and drafts of Ash's voluminous body of work, presented in their rawest form. Never have we been afforded a clearer view of Ash's artistic mind."

"Sencilla Fanta is a hefty 320 pages of my drawings and ideas," Wood said. ³A true inside look at how the process starts."

Sencilla Fanta will retail for $40.

BRIEFLY

* Oni Press announced I Was Someone Dead, a new novella from Jamie S. Rich with a cover and spot illustrations by Andi Watson, will reach stores on May 25.

Here's how Oni describes the book:

"I Was Someone Dead stars Hieronymus Zoo as a man no longer plagued by pain. He lives a life many dream about. His home is a serene island and his only companion is a loyal pooch. There¹s only one catch for this perfect existence. Horrible nightmares plague his sleeping hours and the only place he can find solace is on the beach‹small price to pay, or at least it is until a monster arises from the sea. But is the monster real or just another machination of his mind? And how will all this hold together when another person‹a woman, no less‹enters the picture? It could end in tears, or maybe in love."

"When Jamie abandoned his comics editing career last year, initially, I was pretty bummed," said Oni Press editor in chief James Lucas Jones. "Jamie was a mentor, co-worker, and friend and I knew I was going to miss dearly in the Oni office. But my moping didn¹t last long! Once it sunk in that this meant Jamie would be free to write more I was much more excited about the possibility of new work from one of my favorite authors than I was sad at losing such a valuable colleague."

* Coming Saturday: DC news and more!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links: